If you are going to be cutting on it then yes, you want end grain

Otherwise, no.

Also, end grain never really gets clean of the meat products. It has to be re planed.

I should also point out, very few of us have the space for an old-world butcher block.

As you point out they are super thick, so the make nice side tables, and conversation pieces but where do you put your gear??  A rack, like those from Butcher Block Acoustics, has at least 2 shelves. 

Well, there is the ’cool’ factor of a vintage butcher block counter. And enjoyment of recycling.

I had 2 fairly long hard maple counters maybe 8" thick I brought from Brooklyn in 1970. Carried them place to place, never used them, sold at a garage sale for next to nothing.

Do you know a local woodworker who can plane it both sides to a new flat and parallel surface? Edges: some have concealed dowels, some visible dowels, (exposed originally or exposed by cutting the width (take woodworker’s advice) also ’cool’ looking.

A really thick one, overkill, could be cut to two (or 3) less thick slabs by a shop, used/joined various ways.

I have a counter in my office, made from Hard Maple: Sandwich Boards, 2" thick, only 10" wide, so I had my woodworker join them edge to edge, thus 6’ x 20" x 1-3/4 thick (after the plane removed the knife cuts).  They were from the JP Stevens Cafeteria which I designed when I was a youngster, salvaged when they merged with West Point Pepperell, a bit of nostalgia involved.

Would a real butcher block be going to far?

@bgpoppab Its not going far enough. If its solid wood, it will resonate, although due to the density it will take a bit more energy. It would work better if bonded to a dissimilar material such as plate steel. The steel has a resonance too, but bonded together the two rob energy from each other. This will make for a quieter platform into which vibrational energy from your equipment can be sunk more effectively without the wood adding energy of its own.

The benefit of end grain is that it’s easier on the knives, so they hold an edge longer.   An end grain cutting board is harder to make so costs more.  As mentioned, there’s really not much sonic benefit that justifies the extra cost.